I get that the someone's love in life is automatic kill, no skill required weapons...I mean, shortly after the "Let's attract new players" effort, the introduction of the "no aiming needed insta-kill explosive crossbow" was added into game...I KNOW! Who could have seen that insta-killing players (behind cover mind you) would have had a negative effect on game experience, especially for new players in a time when new players was the focus? I mean, c'mon man, we're not Nostradamus here! And let's not forget the great game design idea of "Let's give VS, and VS only, an attachment that increases enemy hit boxes in a way that simulates a well known PS2 hack" idea that was hatched years ago. I KNOW, who could have seen that as a bad idea before it went live? I mean c'mon, Edgar Casey here? Nope! But the Masthead's Anti-air ability needs a major nerf. It's overdue. It's a rifle...and ya know what goes with rifles....ya...aiming! I KNOW! Who would have thought those things went together? We aint no Einsteins here, I mean, c'mon man! Ya, I KNOW....crazy! Look, I just stumbled on this design realization--that rifles you don't have to aim and that do so much damage to a costly ESF...might....just MIGHT....be a bad design... I KNOW! Shocking! I am sure it was an easy thing to miss in design and testing...oh wait...testing...testing??? HAH! Hey, I wonder if someone got bored of VS Infil/LA gameplay and is now fascinated with NC Engy? Anyone? Buehler? Buehler?
gonna go ahead and point out that strikers are able to dumbfire and take out air faster in squads than a group of mastheads while having a way more forgiving aim window, and Lancers are basically hitscan and only require two direct hits to down an ESF
I mean, are you sure about that? Lancer has a 450m/s projectile which happens to be identical with the Masthead so what you are saying is that the Masthead is actually a hitscan weapon?! No wonder its such a popular weapon! Unfortunately I seem to have some weird client lag because both my Lancer and Masthead are far from hitscan Since the first part of that Lancer statement was so completely INSANE the last part kinda falls in the shadow of it but its also fairly ridiculous to casually claim: As if its just a given that there is no issue with predicting 3 seconds into the future if the ESF is in a good spot to hit with it so you can charge up a shot and then make a follow up shot 2-3 seconds later when the ESF is in the middle of boosting the hell away while doing evasive manoeuvrers. Like yeah, you 'only' have to hit the ESF twice with a 450m/s pin point projectile that has a ~3 second charge up per shot, no biggie.
It's surprising how long the Masthead has stayed this strong since they nerfed Heavy Crossbows so fast upon release. They probably haven't noticed because only NC is using it compared to all factions having access.
It also only effects the air game, which infantry players either don't give a damn about or are actively rooting for it's demise. The Xbow did effect infantry and was therefore taken care of quickly.
I'm actually super happy that NC finally have an AA weapon, no longer do I just need to take it when a bans**ter or a PPAhole comes floating around. Now if only my NSO could get a decent AA weapon. Also as shameful mentioned above Striker requires way less skilled and kills air much faster, Plus it doesn't take a primary slot, instead it sits nicely in the pocket of the most popular class in the game. I don't think either striker nor masthead should be nerfed.
I just want it nerfed because the Lancer was hit hard and brought to its current state so I see no reason why NC should be allowed to keep the Masthead as it is when its basically a Lancer Lite(lower DPS) but has flak detonation making aiming and skill slightly optional.
RIP ESF Directives. I really can't see a good path to aurax'ing the ESF with the changes over the last 2 years. Masthead needs a fractional damage reduction or slightly longer reload at least in the interim.
Ah yes, another unbalanced gimmick weapon created to fill the gap created by the unnecessary nerfing of HA rocket launchers. Look, I get the masthead was a curious concept, but it was completely unnecessary in the overall scheme of things. A simple boost to missile velocity and range for the AA launchers would have worked just as well as this weapon. However, I must admit that I am curious about this weapon overall. Perhaps the answer isn't so much in the usual liberal application of poorly thought out nerfs (as I am sure is coming) but rather a change in the weapons function. For instance, this is a flak rifle, why not make it so its flak does less damage but slows down the ESF? Or maybe have it jam the ESF's booster or abilities. There are plenty of ways to change this weapon to be more fair and balanced from what I have heard. Lastly, I have not been able to test this yet (console not having access to the faction specific AMR rifles) but does the flak armor on aircraft not work on the masthead? Its a flak round, so you would think the aircraft anti-flak armor (which most aircraft run anyway) would stop it. Please clarify this if you can.
Masthead range, reload speed, and class type that wields it = far more effective than Striker. Engy in any vehicle. Wrel nerfed the striker range. Not a real comparison there. Striker is a deterrent weapon. Masthead is yet ANOTHER no aim, kill, weapon.
Composite armour hasn't done anything against flak since CAI. They are all just raw HP boosts now. Also most run stealth, comp armour has never been meta for aircraft.
Considering basic E.S.F.s literally cannot be killed unless they decide to come down in range of A.A. fire, stand almost perfectly still while out of basic A.A. turrets range or are chased down by another E.S.F. or Liberator; something that hits hard at extreme range is exactly what needs to be in play. I personally get tired of E.S.F.s staying in a holding pattern over me until something comes along and starts attacking me so they can try to contribute to my death or steal the kill. If anything, basic A.A. needs a major buff, as Liberators have been unchecked Cheese Mobiles ever since they were introduced and was only challenged ONCE with the introduction of A.N.T. cloaks. Besides, how are you complaining about V.S. getting something alone when your T.R. Flash has a silent Flamethrower. Someone mentioned the Striker before me so I will not go into detail about that. All this crying to Nerf things you all do on the computer side.... No wonder the game is in such a sorry state. It sucks to play because all you need to do in order to make sure you win, is fly a Liberator. If you want to not die ever, Fly a basic T.R. or N.C. E.S.F. and never challenge A.A. Aside from a billion dollar Megatank's Skylance, there is NOTHING that can kill a fighter outright unless it decides to stay for whatever reason. If you are talking about the Heavy Crossbow, it has never been able to one hit kill on PlayStation, it is a terrible blend of a Sniper rifle and a Scout rifle, with none of the damage or range benefits.... Count yourself blessed you have at least one weapon that makes sense....
Either the Masthead getting nerfed in line with the rest, or the rest getting buffed to Masthead level, the rest would be fine. If they buffed the Slicer to the same range as the Masthead, and able to pierce vehicles, it would be in-line to me. If they took the DAGR and took out the bolt mechanic entirely as well as increased the range to Masthead, it would be in-line to me. VS and NSO not having any AA capabilities like the other 2 factions would be the next logical solution, probably increasing lancer velocity and reducing the damage it does against air, so it's easier to use, and it's not an all-or-nothing weapon. (If you get shot once with a charged lancer, you're brought to flaming, which isn't exactly fair to the pilot, and the velocity is so slow, you're extremely likely to miss somebody who isn't hovering, which isn't fair to the wielder.) NSO should get something that uses the functions mentioned by brutes, seriously speaking, NSO should get something that's a little stronger than the current RLs, probably a low-damage "striker" that can target ground units in the same manner, and slows all vehicles. Or an extremely low damage but very high velocity high ROF heavy weapon that has the heat mechanic, and can deal damage to all vehicles up to 300 meters.
Flak effect notwithstanding (and no comment on that as I don't fly) there is nothing about the Masthead that needs nerfing. Similarly the DAGR is also fine as it is. The Slicer is the only outlier, due mainly to the fact that it has been burdened with a charge mechanic that before has been a feature of weapons that either possess higher-than-normal projectile speed, like the Railjack or the Lancer, or higher-than-normal burst damage, like the Yumi or the Jackal's alt-fire. The Slicer possesses neither of these, and so hovers in a state where it's rather poor at everything save the very niche role of occasionally hitting a MAX's Pocket Engie through the MAX.
